Storytelling tends to make relationships visible and therefore gives you a chance to offer yourself, to enter into a truly human relationship with your listeners, and thus, incidentally, to contribute to healing a pervasive hurt in our society.

Are stories made of words? To tell stories compellingly, first get clear what stories are really made of. Next, understand the solutions to the three most common storytelling problems. Only then will you will be ready to hold the attention of your listeners - whether in a boardroom, on the phone, or across a kitchen table.

A minidisc recorder can be an economical way to break into digital recording of your practice sessions, performances and workshops. This handy recorder is discontinued, but still has a great combination of price, size, convenience, and the features you need for recording yourself on the fly.

Doug explains why marketing is often hard for storytellers, then goes on to give a concept of marketing that is neither aggressive nor manipulative. Then he sketches out the steps you can take to find allies who eagerly want your work.

Listen to my interview on the podcast: The Art of Storytelling with Children where I spoke with the host Eric Wolf about basing your marketing on your true strengths, emphasizing benefits, avoiding becoming a "commodity storyteller," building relationships with potential allies, the three questions to ask yourself about a program or product, and more.
"This is essential knowledge for anyone interested in storytelling, not just those who work with children."—Tim Ereneta

By "midrash," I mean the practice of adding episodes to a story, in order to clarify or change the story's meaning. This concept illuminates how meaning can be shaped - or radically changed - by simple narrative changes.

Is it possible to adapt a folktale so that it conveys your value - or must the value already be prominent in the story? In other words, do you only find traditional tales about values, or can you use them as spurs to create value tales?